Chicken and Chocolate Mole

After an eventful,
work and fun filled four days in Atlanta I’m back at home and back on my
computer.

My brand spanking new
computer. Well, not completely new. But it has a new frame and a new screen.
New, clean, beautiful and not broken. All wins.

And as excited as I am
to be back in action, today is a pretty sad day.

Unless you have been
living under a rock today, you know about the horrifying bombings at the finish
line of the Boston Marathon.

As I’m sure most of
you are, I’m deeply saddened by the events today. It breaks my heart that
people have enough hate and pain in them to hurt other people. You must be in a
dark, black hole of a place to inflict that kind of fear in people.

I find it difficult to
be faced with a problem with no obvious solution.

So I’m going to do the
only thing that I think I can do to help.

Spread light.

And love, and
kindness, and fun, and help, and all the other things that pull people out of
the darkness and hate.

All that I can do, and
probably all you can do is to spread your light.

Say please. And thank
you. And open doors for one another. Offer someone else your seat. Or a snack.

It’s really difficult
to be upset when everyone around you is being kind.

Part of spreading
light for me is sharing. Sharing experiences and sharing food.

So here is something
tasty for you to share. Share with family and friends and enjoy the good things
in life.

You will need…

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico
chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 whole star anise

½ teaspoon ground
cumin

½ teaspoon coriander
seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons
vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin
seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla,
quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves,
unpeeled

1 small onion,
quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican
chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut
butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to
taste

Start by covering all
the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are
soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns
and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and
spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and
spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet,
melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins,
almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over
moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5
minutes.

Transfer the mixture
to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to
the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all
sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes
to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and
onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8
minutes.

Transfer the garlic
and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables
onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with
the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of
the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice
powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3
minutes.

Remove the stems and
seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken
stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and
simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet
from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a
food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and
blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large
skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken
well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4
minutes a side.

Don’t worry about
cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the
pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has
simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your
textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the
mole sauce.

Serve the chicken and
mole hot over rice or in a burrito.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Chicken and Chocolate Mole

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico
chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 star anise

½ teaspoon ground
cumin

½ teaspoon coriander
seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons
vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin
seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla,
quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves,
unpeeled

1 small onion,
quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican
chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut
butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to
taste

Start by covering all
the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are
soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns
and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and
spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and
spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet,
melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins,
almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over
moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5
minutes.

Transfer the mixture
to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to
the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all
sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes
to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and
onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8
minutes.

Transfer the garlic
and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables
onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with
the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of
the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice
powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3
minutes.

Remove the stems and
seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken
stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and
simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet
from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a
food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and
blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large
skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken
well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4
minutes a side.

Don’t worry about
cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the
pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has
simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your
textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the
mole sauce.